4A-Forming an Opportunity Belief
- Beginning point: I believe there is an opportunity at the University of Florida for scooter repair provided by the University.
- My Belief: Almost every student I have talked to who owns a scooter has faced some form of difficulty with their scooter. Whether it is an issue starting or a repair needed on campus, I believe there is an opportunity for UF to provide scooter repairs for students on campus. A large percentage of students at UF drive scooters, and have an unmet need in terms of available repairs. This need stems from the fact that scooters are machines, and this issue is not new; students for years at UF have not had access to convenient scooter repair on campus or even close to campus.To meet this need now, there are scooter repair stores in Gainesville. However, they are far from campus and are difficult to reach without transportation. At this point, I am 90% sure there is no scooter repair support provided by the University and this opportunity exists.
- Identify the Prototypical Customer: The first student I talked to was a first-year student who just got a scooter right before winter break.
- Iteration No. 1: I learned a great deal of valuable information from my first interview. When I asked my interviewee if she ever faced any issues with her scooter, she said she never had a single issue. It started immediately, had no scratches, never squeaked when it started, etc. I thought this was interesting, as I thought this was a need faced by all students.
- Identify the Prototypical Customer: The second student I talked to was a third-year student who had a scooter for a little over a year.
- Iteration No. 2: The student I talked to for my second interview was very receptive to my questions and seemed to be interested in the potential of my opportunity. He explained to me that when he first got his scooter, he faced no issues whatsoever. It was after a semester that he started to have complications. Especially after the cold winter break where his scooter was not in use, he faced issues with his scooter starting on campus. Often times he has to kickstart it multiple times for it to start, and sometimes it does not work. He has had to leave his scooter on campus numerous times and call for help to come- a very expensive solution. When I told him my idea of campus-provided scooter support, he was very enthusiastic and agreed this was an unmet need that the University should provide to students.
- Identify the Prototypical Customer: The third student I interviewed was a last semester senior who used a used scooter for all four years of her time at UF.
- Iteration No. 3: When I interviewed my final customer, I assumed she would be very receptive to my idea. She drove a very old scooter; the mirror was broken, paint was peeling off, even the seat was torn and taped together. When I explained my idea that the university should provide scooter repair support to students, she was surprisingly against the idea. When I asked her for her reasoning, she explained to me how the issue was not a significant need that was unmet by a majority of students. She explained that a minority of students used scooters as their primary mode of transportation. Additionally, she pointed out that maintenance is an expected expense when making a purchase for transportation. Lastly, she reasoned that because it did not affect a majority of students, University resources should not be allocated the the program I proposed. She has been able to make due all four years, and therefore concluded my idea was unneeded at UF.
- Reflect: I learned a great deal from my interviews. When I first thought of my opportunity, I assumed my idea would be met with 100% support by all scooter owners. However, that was not the case. It really depended on the type of scooter, amount of time the scooter was in use, and a variety of other factors.
- Summarize
- How much of your original opportunity is still there?: I believe there is still opportunity, as long as my idea is catered towards the correct audience and normalized on campus for all scooter owners.
- Do you believe that your new opportunity is more accurate than when you started?: Yes. I believe after talking to real students who were in different phases of ownership, I have a better grasp of my target audience and the steps I need to take to reach the greatest amount of students.
- How much do you think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback?: I definitely believe there is a trade off between adapting and staying firm. I think entrepreneurs should adapt to reach the greatest number of customers in order for their opportunity to be successful. However, they also should stay true to their original goal, and ensure their adapted product is still genuine to the plans set at the beginning of the development process.
